Sales tax collections down again

St. Mary Parish sales and use tax collections were down for the ninth straight month in July, but collections decreased less than they did in June, according to the latest report.
Parish sales and use tax collections totaled about $3.51 million in July, compared to $4.17 million in July 2014, the report stated.
July’s sales and use tax total collections were down 15.9 percent from July 2014 and down 13.3 percent excluding collections made as a result of financial audits.
In June, sales and use tax total collections plunged 20.3 percent compared to June 2014, the largest monthly decrease this year. St. Mary Parish Sales and Use Tax Director Jeffery LaGrange said most of the June decreases came from the automobile and industrial sector.
In July, the sales and use tax department collected $139,057 as a result of financial audits down from the $285,059 collected as a result of audits in July 2014.
Hotel-motel sales tax revenues were actually up 5 percent in July compared to July 2014. July hotel tax collections came in at $61,925, higher than the $58,790 collected in July 2014.
The July sales tax collections were marked by a “continuance of the decline in oil prices and subsequently a decline in industrial and oil and gas activity” in St. Mary Parish, LaGrange said.
On the consumer end, collections from staple goods are flat, but big ticket purchases are on the decline, according to the Department of Public Safety’s collections, LaGrange said.
During July, Morgan City’s 0.3 percent road royalty tax brought in $78,012, bringing the year-to-date road royalty collections to $543,797.
The following occupational licenses were filed in July: St. Mary Parish, $7,505; city of Morgan City, $3,842; city of Franklin, $531; town of Berwick, $250; city of Patterson, $176; and town of Baldwin, $50.

This story was written by Zachary Fitzgerald of The Daily Review staff. Reach him at zfitzgerald@daily-review.com.